Thursday, April 4, 2013

There are around 16m dogs and cats living in
the UK and people own millions of other pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs,
rats, hamsters and mice. While having pets can be a very rewarding experience,
some people might find that it can cause some complications. Most notably,
people often notice that it can change what kind of furniture they can or
cannot buy.

Should you be redecorating and refurnishing
your home, you might be on the lookout for pet-proof, or at the very least
pet-friendly, furniture. Despite what some people may say, you can definitely
find pet-proof furniture; it all just depends on your pet’s habits.

The Chewer

If your dog has a habit of chewing your
furniture and you want to replace your sofa with one that they won’t be
attracted to, the best way forward will be to buy a ‘blocky’ sofa. Purchase one
that sits directly on the floor (rather than having visible legs) and make sure
that the arms and all other parts of the sofa are covered by thick fabric.

Dogs will be less likely to chew if this is
the case, although you will also need to figure out a way to get to the bottom
of their chewing habit.

Dogs chew when they feel anxious or when
they have too much energy. Provide your dog with lots of chew toys and other
things they can play with while you aren’t at home, and make sure you take them
on lots of long walks to expel their energy.

The Scratcher

Cats scratch furniture as a way to mark it
as their property, and to remove the outer sheath of their nails. It’s a
completely natural behaviour, but it can ruin your lovely new couch in a matter
of minutes.

There are fabrics out there that are harder
for cats to break down with their claws. Thick fabrics are often the best for
this; just avoid rough woven fabric. You will find that not many pets scratch
leather, and it doesn’t attract pet hair which is a bonus.

However, the real solution to this problem
will be to give your cat a designated scratching post that they can use. Buy
one and put it in the area they usually scratch. Scatter catnip on it so
they’re attracted to it and the next time they go to scratch, move them to the
post.

Slowly but surely they’ll get used to it
and will focus their attention on the scratching post.

The Fur Magnet

Unfortunately, unless you get a furless cat
or dog (they do exist, just check out this AmericanHairless Terrier) you’ll always have to put up with excess fluff around the
house. Some breeds shed more fur than others – huskies and Norwegian Forest
Cats are two prime examples – but you can get furniture that will be less
susceptible to it sticking.

As aforementioned, it won’t stick to
leather sofas and armchairs at all, so you really can just brush the fur off.
You’ll still need to vacuum a lot though! One way to minimise the big balls of
fluff cats and dogs often shed is to brush them often, especially when they’re malting.

Owning pets doesn’t mean you have to
constrict your furniture choices – there are lots of options out there, and
it’s often easier to tackle your pet’s problem.

This article was written by AHF, a furniture specialist with stores
throughout the country. AHF sells everything from living room furniture to
beds, so you can decorate your entire house with their help.

8
comments:

Reading this reminded me of my Uncle when he got a German Shephard pup. He left for work one day and come home and his dining room table was destroyed. Ate the legs right off it.Good tip for the cats and getting the catnip because we are having issues with my daughters kitten. We need to do this

This is such a good post to really think about what kind of furniture you can get when you have animals. I made a huge mistake when I got my first dog! He chewed my nice sandals and chewed part of the couch in only a few minutes that I let him. Also the shedding is so hard to deal with, but I love my dog!